Social Mobility in Argentina. An Inquiry into the Educational System

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Master's Thesis from the year 2015 in the subject Sociology - Social System, Social Structure, Class, Social Stratification, grade: 12/A, Aalborg University, language: English, abstract: The purpose of this thesis has been to investigate the role of the Argentinean Educational System and its relation with the degree of social mobility in the country. Considering on one side, that education is free for everyone in Argentina, but on the other side, that the levels of attainment of higher education are so low, this thesis aims to explore the role of education, and more specific the functioning of the Educational System in order to highlight its impact on the degree of social mobility. Furthermore, the thesis analyzes the consequences of the observed levels of poverty and inequality, as well as how the pedagogies implemented in the Educational System affect its outcome. The thesis examines the socioeconomic and sociopolitical historical events that have influenced on the structure and the functioning of the Educational System, as well as the current situation of the country and the future perspectives. Moreover, the thesis analyzes the determinant factors that have influenced in the decision of a small number of people regarding higher education. Analyzing these aspects, the thesis highlights to which extent the Educational System is reproducing the same social structure or it is able to change that, avoiding the perpetuation of poverty and inequality. The theoretical framework founded on Bourdieu's theory of social reproduction, and its main concepts of habitus, field, capitals, and symbolic violence, made possible to analyze both the structure and the functioning of the Educational System on one side, and the individuals' motivation toward higher education on the other side, providing a comprehensive picture of how the ES, the individuals' background, and the interaction between them determine the degree of social mobility. The thesis arrives to the conclusion that the Educational System plays a very relevant role on the degree of social mobility, and that the socioeconomic and sociopolitical contexts can conceal or exhibit the truth behind the common perception about that role.